


warm in your eyes

by kimikoroi



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24013090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimikoroi/pseuds/kimikoroi
Summary: You make friends with a nature spirit, make some questionable decisions, and it's also kinda gay!!(tw for implied suicide)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	warm in your eyes

Despite the shining sun you still felt a chill run its course along your spine, and tugged the sleeves of your hoodie over your clenched fists. You don't remember it raining earlier that day but the ground beneath your feet was saturated with water that bubbled up with every step you took. 

If you were still a little kid, you would probably be running along the path, grinning from ear to ear as you hopped over the jagged grey rocks protruding from the earth. But you weren't a little kid. Now you were much older and understood that if something is wet, it's probably slippery, and that running on a slippery surface will most likely cause you to fall down, scrape your knee against the rocks, and subsequently die of a bacterial infection 10 days later.

Instead, you kept on walking until you realised that your feet had suddenly become a lot colder than they should be. Strange how you didn't notice yourself walking into a river until the fabric of your old beat up trainers had soaked up enough water to fill one of the tiny gold trimmed china teacups sitting in the kitchen cabinet of your childhood home. 

You took a brief moment to ask yourself if sock-infused river water would really taste all that bad, before lifting your foot out of the streaming water to begin the meticulous task of untying your laces. Walking barefoot isn't the most appealing idea, but you'd rather not have to put up with your left shoe squeezing out liquid with every step you took for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, untying tight wet shoelaces while balancing on one leg is not something you are particularly skilled at, and before long you find yourself hopping from side to side as you try to regain your balance.

"Would you like some help with that?"

You whipped your head up to see a tall, lithe figure watching you from across the river. If it wasn't for their thick auburn hair, long enough to cascade over their shoulders and down to the back of their knees, you might have already recognised them.

It took a couple seconds of confused staring before you realised who it was, and as the tension you didn't even notice holding left your hunched shoulders, a scowl formed on your face.

"No thanks," you huffed. "I'm not a baby."

After a short laugh accompanied with a gentle smile they spoke.

"Well of course you aren't. Babies don't wear shoes"

Frustrated, you gave up trying to keep yourself upright and dropped onto your backside, cringing at the feeling of mud coating your leg. They were standing above you now, tilting their head in curiosity as you began kicking the heel of your trainers against the ground until they flew off your foot and landed back in the water with a splash.

Or at least you think it did. Their hair was so long it hung like a curtain over your head, only letting in small slivers of light that flickered across your cheeks as a gentle breeze passed through the air. You wiped your hands on the fabric of your shorts before reaching out and running your fingers through the slightly tousled locks.

"So what's all this about?" You asked, absentmindedly twirling a strand around your pinkie.

The last time you'd seen them, their hair was cropped short on the sides, about 2 inches on the top, and spiraling in dark curls in every direction. You didn't realise that it could grow this much overnight.

After taking a moment to perch themselves on a flat half submerged rock they replied.

"I don't know, I just thought you might like it."

They suddenly seemed very interested in the soil composition of the river bank, or at least that's what you assumed by the way they were staring at the mound of dirt next to your left foot. I guess you couldn't blame them for being nervous around you. It's not like most of these spirits are used to having contact with humans, and definitely not one as cantankerous as you apparently are (according to your dear mother).

It's a good thing that she's an awful judge of character, otherwise you might have ended up being a much more unlikable person.

"Yeah it's nice," you murmured, trying not to smile as they peered down at you, trying to gauge your reaction. "I bet it would look even nicer if you put some flowers in it. You'd look more like a wood nymph thingy that way."

You laughed as their eyes glinted with silver speckles that gave away their excitement. Without a word, you grabbed their forearm and began leading them through a gap in the shrubbery growing adjacent to the flowing river.

The dappled sunlight of the forest filled your chest with a light fluttering warmth as you watched twirling leaves dancing in the air above you before settling on the mossy rocks lined up on either side. You closed your eyes and ran your outstretched hand over the tops, letting the soft greenery tickle your fingertips. 

It was easier to hear the birds now. They were singing your favourite song, about a pirate princess lost at sea who made friends with a whale and spent the rest of her days under the cold, dark churning waves, creating whirlpools that dragged lonely boats down to the ocean floor. You hummed along with them, the corners of your lips raised in a serene smile.

The rocks had fallen back now, replaced with a knotted tree trunk with rough bark that flaked away as you skimmed your palms against it. As you slowly opened your eyes, you could see them standing in the middle of the clearing, crabapple flowers tucked like crystal-scattered sunlight through their windswept locks. 

"Hey I wanted to do it!" You called out.

They swivelled around to face you, glowing with a bright grin spread across their flushed cheeks.

"Oh I'm sorry, you can still braid it if you like!"

You spent the next few hours weaving burnished locks of hair into intricate patterns that shone with spun-gold streaks as you basked in the setting sun. Despite the cooling temperature, you could feel your arms prickling with heat, not in a way that was unpleasant. 

A couple of weeks ago you might have found this strange, but by this point you knew that the world cocooned within the timber didn't always follow the rules. That's what made it so special, what made it so easy to give into the offer you'd received yesterday.

"You know, you don't have to leave. You could stay forever."

What a cruel thing to say. It was the greatest kindness the world had ever shown to you, and they knew that.

But you couldn't ever be angry at them, not when they looked at you with those impossibly bright eyes, sparkling in aureate light above rosy flushed cheeks.

There was a couple seconds of silence before they blinked and started speaking.

"Oh. Are you ready now?"

You paused for a moment but then nodded, slowly stood up, and made your way closer to the tree. The feeling of the wood against your back was comforting and you let out a deep sigh as you leaned against it, arms dropped against your side.

You might have been slightly scared before, of giving up everything else for this, but you knew now that this is what you wanted. It's not like you would have the ability to regret it anyway.

As you released the air in your lungs, you could feel all the weight in your bones lift out of your body, as they became empty and hollow, filled with nothing but warmth that spread like fire across your chest.

While your eyes fluttered shut, you tilted your head to rest on their shoulder as they sat beside you, hands tightly linked together. Your vision was hazy but you could still make out their gentle smile as they began to sing in impossible soft tones.

Being a pirate princess sounded fun, but you were happy here, happier than you've ever been in your life, so happy it didn't even feel real. 

As you were lulled into unconsciousness by the sound of their voice, soft as a lover's kiss, you smiled once again.

"Goodnight. Sleep well."


End file.
